Prickly pear
Botanical name: ‘Nopalea cochenillifera’
Also known as: Cochineal Cactus, Cochineal Opuntia, Prickly Pear, Nopal Cactus, Velvet opuntia, Warm Hand
Plant Type: succulent, shrub
Lifespan: Perennial
Description: (Nopalea cochenillifera) is a flowering cactus Native to Mexico. Cochineal Nopal Cactus grows in tropical forests in the wild and is cultivated in gardens and planters. This species is valued for its drought tolerance. Cochineal Nopal Cactus is naturalized in Jamaica and is also known by the alternative Latin name Opuntia cochenillifera.
Temperature: 32-109 oF
Hardiness Zones: 9-12
Sunlight: Full Sun
Soil: Sandy Well Draining
Garden Use: Because it can grow to huge heights, cochineal Nopal Cactus makes a great showy specimen or interesting accent in cactus or arid gardens. It can also work as a year-round hedge plant in tropical or subtropical climates, made extra attractive during the flowering and fruiting season. These colourful flowers draw in hummingbirds during the early spring.
Propagation: To propagate this species of cactus you can individually break off each “pad” to create a new plant or you can keep multiple pieces together to create larger plants. For this process you will want to use protective gloves and some type of sharp tool to cut the pads apart. After the pads have been separated from the mother plant you can place the pads in a dark dry area to callus over for a few days until it’s ready to be planted. This will allow the plant to not rot at the base preventing potential issues that could eventually lead to its death if planted without letting it callus over. After a few days, the cactus should be fully callused where it was cut and look completely dry. After this process is complete you can now plant it in sandy well-draining soil either in a pot or in the ground that is in a consistent sunny bright area. It will start to grow roots from the callused area in a few weeks and new growth would appear within a few months.
Harvesting: Pick the fruit with gloves then wash them again or burn what spines there might still remain (a butane torch works well, a candle flame, or a deftly held propane torch). You then peel them for the soft red fruit flesh inside. It can be eaten raw or cooked and has a raspberry like flavor. Just be sure to remove the hard seeds. The pads are treated the same way, eat them as is or peeling them and eating the inner part of the pad, raw or cooked making sure to burn off any spines.
Video On How to Prepare for Cooking:
Video On How to Propagate: